


I'll Tell Me Ma

by bothways



Series: Dutiful Sons [4]
Category: Boondock Saints (Movies)
Genre: Folk Music, slightly drunken dancing Murphy, touch of republicanism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2019-01-06 06:00:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12205263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bothways/pseuds/bothways
Summary: After all the horror of Seattle, the MacManuses relax in an Irish bar in Baltimore before they carry out their next hit.





	I'll Tell Me Ma

He watched his brother sway gently in time to the beat of the music, a smile on his face as he hung on to big Craig (who they had met just 2 days ago) and belted out the chorus to "Óró, sé do bheatha 'bhaile", his natural rhythm and grace still apparent despite the six pints and two shots of whisky he had just downed. It had been a long time since they had been in an Irish bar and listened to a band. It reminded Connor of working in his uncle's bar back home, they had had a live band most Saturdays, usually playing Gaelic songs. Once they had had a few he and Murph always sang along with their friends and family. This bar was different though, despite being an Irish bar in Baltimore it definitely had Republican undertones much stronger that Connor and Murphy were used to from home. Connor was pretty sure they'd be playing something a little more political by the end of the night; not that it bothered his family, they were Catholics and Republicans by political allegiance but they had bigger fish to fry here in the States, work entrusted to them directly by the Lord. 

His eyes turned to Il Duce sat alone at a table in the corner. The bar was heaving but a space had formed around his father's table as if even here, amongst these people who don't have a clue who they really are, the sense of danger around his father could be felt - God's own angel of death. He turned his eyes back to Murphy who was now warbling on to "I wish I was back home in Derry" - his voice a rich baritone trained through their mother's insistence they both sing in the church choir. Out of his periphery view he saw a man, older than him but younger than his father by quite a few years, approach Il Duce who nodded towards the empty seat at his table. This was probably the meet that Il Duce had been waiting for for a couple of days now. They needed a contact in Baltimore for guns and ammo and perhaps a bit of intel. His father had been quite clear that he could handle this on his own and that Connor and Murphy should kick back, use the opportunity to have a few drinks. It was always easier to get out and about when they first arrived in a new city before they carried out a hit. Murphy had taken full advantage of that and it was fun to watch him and remember how it used to be, how they both used to be before. Connor was torn between going over to his brother and wrapping his arms around his shoulders and dancing to "The Likes of You Again" or making sure the man with his father knew that the old man wasn't on his own. He decided on the latter.

He approached the table slightly undecided about what to say. He wasn't sure Il Duce would want this man to know that Connor was his son, nor would he probably be keen on being called Il Duce in front of this man and giving away much of his history if the man just cared to look. 

"Everything alright here?" The stranger looked up at Connor briefly seemingly slightly annoyed at the interruption.  
"Aye lad, we're fine. Can you get my friend here a whisky." Ok so he was being sent away without being introduced, Connor could live with that besides there was really only one response when Il Duce gives you a direct order no matter how gently its couched.  
"Yes sir"

 

He had brought back a bottle of whisky and only two glasses, he'd sensed that he wasn't likely to be welcome to drink with them besides he didn't really want whisky tonight, it would affect him way too quickly as he hadn't drank much for a little while and he didn't want to be drunk, too many recent memories likely to surface. He'd stick with his beer.  
"Thank you Connor. Joe, this is my son Connor."  
"Son you say, well, well. Éirinn go Brách Connor. Slainte."   
"Éirinn go Brách, Joe." he nodded at the stranger. Judging by the light in Il Duce's eyes this Joe was saying what they needed to hear.   
As he turned to leave them to it, Il Duce indicated where Murphy was still chatting with his new friends and jigging slightly to the music and spoke quietly. "Best rescue your brother, think the lassie there has taken a shine to him and I don't think the feelings mutual and even if it was I don't think he'd be popular in here if he acted on it. Looks like she might be here with her family over there." Connor looked over to where Il Duce was indicating and there were about five big local lads looking at Murph like he'd slapped their Ma. "They're spoiling for a fight and we don't need that kind of trouble tonight."

Trust Murphy, he could fall into trouble just by breathing, all the girls with boyfriends or protective brothers seemed to make a beeline for him even though he never, to Connor's knowledge, seemed to return the feelings or did much to encourage it. You would have thought he would have been used to it by now and have kept a wary eye out but then caution wasn't really Murph. He tended to just live in the moment and that was part of the beauty of him. Their mother had once said about Murphy "You tumble lad, don't ye, just like water" and Connor had immediately understood what she meant. Besides, Connor didn't think Murphy'd change how he behaved just to avoid a fight, he loved a good fight did Murph. 

He slung his arm round Murphy's shoulders just as the band started up a new song. Murphy grinned at him and swung him round in time to the music, singing at him "I'll tell me Ma when I go home, the boys won't leave the girls alone. They pulled my hair, they stole my comb, Well that's alright till I go home." Connor couldn't help grinning back at his brother ""I'll pull yer hair yer great girl." Murphy smiled even wider and then quickly turned to the young lass who'd been at his side for the last hour and picked her up under her arms and swung her around much as he had Connor singing at her, "She is handsome. She is pretty. She is the belle of Belfast City. She is courtin' one, two, three. Please won't you tell me, who is she?" 

Connor had always had a sixth sense for a fight, a trait he seemed to share with Il Duce who was out of his seat before Murphy set the lass back on her feet. The boys in the corner were on their way over presumably set to give Murphy a beating. Over Connor's dead body and it looked like Il Duce shared Connor's feelings on that point. Connor suddenly felt a fleeting warmth towards his father as they stood shoulder to shoulder together with Murph who had got with the plot pretty damn quick as well.

There were six of them but Connor still didn't feel the odds were too bad, he knew he, Murph and the Old Man could take two each. It had been going pretty well, his first opponent was out cold and he'd got in a number of punches against the man's brother already. He'd kept Murph in his sights as he always did when they were fighting and he looked like he was more than holding his own. Then one of the men fighting with Murph pulled out his knife. It was all a bit of a blur after that but he thought that Il Duce had drawn his boot knife and thrown it at the man's hand. All Connor knew was that the kid that pulled the knife was groaning in pain and Murphy wasn't cut. He said a short prayer of thanks.

Il Duce started screaming at the kids family "Are we done now, are we done?" The fight seemed to have gone out of their opponents and they and the young girl were being ushered out by the bar staff whilst Il Duce wiped the blood off of his knife with a bar towel. Murphy was examining his knuckles which were all busted up and he was clearly going to have a shiner coming. Il Duce waited a few minutes for the other family to disappear then said tersely "Home". Murphy nodded and followed him with a muttered "yessir". 

His brother was initially quiet on the way home and Connor hoped that this hadn't spoiled his brother's enjoyment of the night completely. He had been having fun for what seemed like the first time in ages and Connor had loved watching him. After all the horror of their time in Seattle, it had been great to smile, to have a few drinks, to indulge in nostalgia with all the Irish music. Murphy soon shared what was bothering him.   
"You pissed off about the fight da?"  
"Is cuma liom" Il Duce rolled his eyes not sounding in the least annoyed..  
Once Murph had satisfied himself as to his father's state of mind, it was obvious that he had enjoyed the fight, talking it through in detail and slagging off the pussy with a knife who had howled like a kid when Il Duce had stuck him. Whilst Murphy waxed lyrical aided by the six pints and 4 shots of whisky, Connor thought about how handy Il Duce's boot knife seemed to be. He thought maybe he should start to carry a couple of knives like his father and maybe get some pointers about using them. 

"Did you get what you wanted, Da?" Connor asked after they got into the flat they were staying in. It had just felt so natural calling him "da" at that point. Maybe it was the four pints he had had or maybe the fact that Murphy now rarely called him anything else and in his slightly inebriated state had been "da"ing Il Duce all the time since they had left the pub. Although Connor thought it might have been related to the warm feeling growing in him when he thought about the way the older man had stepped up for the fight shoulder to shoulder with his sons, how his quick aim had stopped Murph getting cut and how he hadn't moaned about any of it. Whatever it was for the first time in Connor's life the word "Da" naturally slipped off his tongue. His father's only reaction was a brief smile and nod before he knelt and took out his rosary to say his evening prayers. At that point Murphy seemed to sober quickly and knelt down next to his father with their sides touching in the same way he always knelt too close to Connor when they prayed together as if the proximity of his sibling would make the prayers more effective. After a few seconds hesitation, Connor followed suit and knelt down on the other side of his father, their shoulders also touching.

**Author's Note:**

> Music Murphy was singing to
> 
> I'll Tell Me Ma - Belfast folk tune typically sung by children when skipping. Has been covered by lots of artists including Van Morrison, Sinead O'Connor and the Young Dubliners.
> 
> Óró, sé do bheatha 'bhaile - gorgeous gaelic Irish song which has been used for centuries as an Irish rallying call, it sings about Grainne the Irish pirate queen coming home (although apparent these words have only been used since the Easter rising in 1916 as before that it talked about welcoming home the Catholic Bonnie Prince Charlie). Worth listening to, versions by just about everyone into Irish Folk Music.
> 
> I wish I was back home in Derry - written by Bobby Sands and performed by Christy Moore, slightly melancholy tune about Irish rebels sent to Botany Bay. Arguably this is a more political song just because of who it is written by.
> 
> "The Likes of you again" by Flogging Molly, more upbeat.
> 
> "Is cuma liom" said by Noah to Murphy - I don't mind


End file.
